Are Muslims allowed to pluck their Eyebrows?

The plucking of eyebrows was a topic of concern back in the times of the Sahabah, but it has now become a major concern in today’s society which has an extreme obsession with beauty and fashion. Bilal Assad answers the age old question of whether it is permissible for Muslim men and women to pluck …

The plucking of eyebrows was a topic of concern back in the times of the Sahabah, but it has now become a major concern in today’s society which has an extreme obsession with beauty and fashion.

Bilal Assad answers the age old question of whether it is permissible for Muslim men and women to pluck their eyebrows, by responding with a hadith which advises both the person who is getting their eyebrows plucked, and the one who performs the plucking, will both be cursed by Allah. There are of course other hadiths which also confirm that it is not allowed for Muslims to pluck or remove hair from their eyebrows.

But Bilal Assad also clarifies a couple of points on the eyebrow plucking issue. The first is that in the case of an extreme overgrowth, it is permissible to remove a small amount to get it back to normal. However, it is strongly advised that people do not follow this rule, since every woman will want to twist her case and declare that her eyebrows are at an extreme level.

The second clarification is the actual Arabic word for the eyebrows, which distinctly refers to the area above the eyes only, meaning that Muslims are allowed to pluck the area between the eyebrows which is above the nose if hair grows there. When you consider the English word ‘eyebrows’, this also refers to 2 distinct areas, and not an ‘eyebrow’ as 1 continuous line on the head.

This clip is from the lecture Those who desire Paradise by Bilal Assad.

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